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Radiant white paint reflects sunshine from each post. Giggles and exclamations of “Hey! You got me!” and “Honey, stop eating my hair!” are shared between friends. The constant swish of brushes keeps time with horse-focused conversation.

Today is Dusty’s birthday. I hope you had a great one, Diesel Dust!

There is some sad news on the boarder front. Glory’s potential owner was advised by our vet not to buy her. It was a sad moment. We’ll miss her. She was a lovely horse to ride, and she had an excellent temperament. The owners are not at fault, and neither is the potential owner. Some things just aren’t meant to be. The previous owners took her back this morning. Though we didn’t know them and do not expect to have future contact with these owners, we wish them all the best in their search for a suitable new owner.

The horses are shedding like crazy. Honey has lost at least 1 1/2 mini-Honeys out of fur.

The farm is perfect in spring. Enjoy some lovely photos of the glorious property and those who live here.

It may not be wrapped up in a pretty bow, but it is a gift all the same. It’s deliciously perfect. There’s a bite in the air, but it’s not bitter. There isn’t snow on the ground, but the mud is frozen. Every pony has shelter from the wind, and everyone is fed and happy. My world is gloriously complete.

Today is Firefly Farm’s first Christmas, and I was given the gift of time. Time to spend with the horses. Time to relax with my husband and dog. Time to cook and clean and build the husband’s Christmas gift after he opened it.

I woke this morning, alight with evergy. I fed all the ponies warm bran mashes. They also ate 2 of their 3 flakes of hay in stalls. The wind is blowing, so the hay would have scattered all over the place if I’d put every flake out in the pasture. Then I mucked the stalls, put the last flakes of hay in the pastures using the tractor (so I could spread out the flakes easier.) As I was sorting hay flakes at the far end of the pasture, the tractor ran out of gas. I laughed, and you could say I frolicked back to the barn in search of a gas can. I’m amused by my own folly.

Today, nothing can ruin my mood.

I gleefully grabbed that gas can and filled up the tractor, enjoying the looks on Lexi and Senorita’s faces as I vrroomed the tractor and cart out of the girls’ pasture.

Most of the girls are finally together. I moved Braz and Misty to be in the same pasture as Senorita and Lexi. They’re getting along very well. (Misty has it bad for Coffee–another cougar, I know.) The girls didn’t have a single problem being together this morning. I fed all the ponies at the far end of the pastures, so they didn’t have to eat in mud. (I can’t wait until spring, when I can expand Dusty and Coffee’s pasture. I feel so bad for the boys. They need more than 3/4 of an acre to play on. They’ll get it as soon as it warms up, if I can have my way.)

Lexi and Senorita have really bonded. They eat from the same hay pile and watch each others’ back. Misty and Braz seem to be the same way. It’ll be interesting to see what happens when we add Melody and Savannah to the mix. Misty is, by far, the most dominant horse in the current “large” herd. Savannah and Melody are a tag-team you don’t want to mess with, though. Let the fireworks ensue. (Some other day. Not today.)

I’m here at my heaven-on-earth, enjoying the scenery out my window (Coffee and Dusty in one pasture, Melody, Honey, and Savannah near the other side of the barn.) I couldn’t ask for anything more. I have what I want, and most of what I need. I’m grateful for it. All of it. It is, inteed, a gift.

A gentle puff of air drifts from a pony nostril, tickling my hair. I giggle, enchanted. This little blonde pony follows me around, begging for attention. She even trots alongside the tractor. Once I’ve spread the hay, she places her head upon my shoulder at every opportunity, knowing this is the way to melt my heart.

I need to spend some quality training time with Honey.

The Christmas holiday has everyone rushing around, attempting to finish everything before time’s up. I’m included in that crowd. I have plans, big plans, for everything around here. However, I’m forced to push those aside and focus on the holiday for now.

Therefore, poor Honey hasn’t been played with for almost a week. Perhaps tomorrow will be easier, and I’ll have a chance to work with her. A volunteer is planning to come and help with morning chores tomorrow, so there’s hope.

The ponies are pleased with the weather. It hasn’t been cold for the last two days. Today it was 50 degrees inside the barn. I went for a day without my adult onesie–hooray! I feel like a kid in a too-big snowsuit every time I put it on.

Today, a volunteer and I watered the girls and boys, built a tank insulater with sawed-up pallets and straw, and cleaned stalls. She also helped me put up more hotwire tape in the girls’ pasture. Senorita will not be windsucking in that pasture any time soon, as far as we can tell. I’m hoping that helps remind Senorita of what she shouldn’t be doing. We’re trying very hard to save her teeth.

Lexi and Senorita are getting along very well out in the pasture. I put Honey there with them last night and today. Tonight, I put her in with Melody and Savannah. I wanted to introduce Misty to Honey, but I really like how well Misty and Braz are getting along. I don’t want to upset that dynamic. Braz is possessive of Honey, so I don’t want to cause a fight. I’d like Braz and Misty to become very attached to each other before introducing Honey to the mix. Then, eventually, I’ll put them all out in the back pasture.

Melody and Savannah are very relaxed and happy. Both are now with Honey, and they seem content with just hanging out in their stalls and in the pasture.

Coffee and Dusty are such good boys. I haven’t had any troubles from either of them, and they’re being very sweet to each other.

Life is good. Now, if I could just find time to play with my little Honey Bear, life would be perfect.

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The natives are restless. They see and smell someone new, and they can’t wait to create a disturbance.

We have a new boarder, and every time I see her, I experience deja vu. She looks almost exactly like Melody’s daughter, Licorice.

The horse above is my gorgeous girl, Licorice, who is now owned and loved by a dear friend.

The new boarder is gorgeous and resembles Licorice. I miss my little girl so much, so having another horse who reminds me of her is comforting. I’m glad she’s here. Her name is Misty, and she’s a sweetheart. She has brown eyelashes over one eye and white eyelashes over the other eye. She’s calm, relaxed, and sweet. She has four white socks and is a lovely chestnut. Her stall is the easiest stall I’ve cleaned in a long time–solids in one area, liquid in another.

She’s also made a new friend. Her stall is the one next to Braz, so she and Braz have all night, every night to play around and be buddies. Then I put them together out in the RAMM pasture. They’re getting along really well. I think I’ll put Honey out there with them tomorrow.

Everyone else is doing very well. Dusty and Coffee stand next to each other in the pasture no matter how warm or cold it is outside. They usually have their noses facing the same way, almost as if they’re boys watching a football game on television. Perhaps they’re discussing Keats, Byron, and Shelley. Perhaps they’re rating the girls. (“That Lexi–ooh, her flanks rank a 10 in my book.”) In any case, they adore each other and are inseparable. When Dusty runs, Coffee runs. When Coffee stands, Dusty stands. They try to go into the same stall to eat. There are worse things that could happen in life. If Coffee grows up to be exactly like Dusty, I believe his owner will be thrilled.

Lexi and Senorita are tolerating Honey. Poor Honey is left out in the cold. Braz is busy making buddies with Misty, so Honey is out with the “big girls.” My hope was that the two Thoroughbreds would eventually become buddies. That has come true with a vengeance. They are happy to gang up on poor Honey and push her away from hay piles. They tag-team when they want something. They’ve also tried to (unsuccessfully) take on Melody and Savannah for leadership of the herd. It’s amusing to watch. Everyone gets along, and nobody’s leaving a mark when they’re testing the waters, but it’s good to be aware of the situation. When the “big girls” are roaming, it’s best to step aside. We’ll see what happens when Braz, Honey, and Misty are re-introduced to the Thorougbreds after the “little girls” become a team. Misty has always been a boss mare, so her owner fully expects her to be large and in charge. Melody and Savannah will give her a run for her money, though.

Yoda’s tail appears to be healing. New issues are on the horizon, however. Smoky Joe and Penny fought yesterday, both of whom are older and more experienced fighters. One of my boarders heard the fight and described it as a sort of violent encounter.

I hope the animals can figure out their hierarchies without involving me. I prefer to be the omnicient hay and grain giver, not the violent-animal separater. In the meantime, I think I’ll give Licorice–I mean Misty–another candy cane.